


Beings of Depth

by CybertronianBeing



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Gen, Give Camryn a break, Smokescreen is a guardian, Stability, Suspense, fight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 14:46:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17582870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CybertronianBeing/pseuds/CybertronianBeing
Summary: After Camryn Cavello is displaced from her home, given the chance by Agent Fowler to stay with the Autobots while her injured parents remain in the care of Jack's mother, and paired with the coolest Autobot guardian ever, things finally begin to look up. But, the Decepticons along with the rogue Starscream, have different plans, and immediately jump at the chance to take Camryn's only stability captive, and then her herself.





	Beings of Depth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My best friend Isabel because she inspires me everyday by her artwork and by being mi mejor amiga](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+best+friend+Isabel+because+she+inspires+me+everyday+by+her+artwork+and+by+being+mi+mejor+amiga).



> This is set mid-way into the second season of Transformers: Prime. Thank you guys so much for reading and if you enjoy, please leave a short review! I love you all and you mean the world to me!

"So why do you have to drink that stuff?" Smokescreen asked, the Autobot emblem placed in the middle of the steering wheel-that no one ever used-lit up to the syllables of his voice. I leaned the seat back after screwing the cap on my chocolate protein shake tight. I swung my cleated, fatigued feet onto the dash.

 

"To become a stronger athlete, I guess. Coach says it's important for recovery." I stretched my sore shoulder to the side and then laced my fingers behind my head just before my guardian hit the brakes. Hard.

 

My head lurched forward, forehead narrowly missing my knee-caps. "Geez Screen. Watch the hammy's." I rubbed the back of my leg on the stretched muscle. Good thing I wasn't tight that particular day.

 

He began to increase his speed again and leveled out at sixty-five. "How many times have I told you not to put your feet, especially cleated or spiked, up on my dash?"

 

"Too many to count." I answered him sharply and leaned the seat forward to its regular position after removing my feet off of the dashboard.

 

"Thank you!" He chirped. I couldn't help but smile at his sense of humor. Smokescreen's humor really was the best. Bulkhead would never-well, actually he would throw the breaks on if Miko ever put her knee-high Converse on his dash. I guess he isn't a very good example, but I know that Bee would never pull that joke on Raphael.

 

"Yea. Yea." I waved him off like a teacher would wave off an annoying student, but knew that if he could've been smiling, he would've been. We revved into the base and Smokescreen opened his passenger door for me and I hopped out with my bag slung over my shoulder. He transformed and winced when he noticed the muddy volt cleats were still on my feet.

 

He flailed his arms to get my attention and stood up on one foot to point to the bottom of his feet. Confusion crossed my face as I meandered forward to look at the bottom of his foot. Was there something wrong with his foot? He nodded his head from side to side sharply and Arcee squashed a giggle.

 

"Hello Camryn." Ratchet uttered without moving a muscle as to look back. Smoke facepalmed himself. "Will you please take those abominations of footwear off of your feet? You're getting mud all over the place."

 

"Hello to you too, Ratchet."

 

"Just take them off."

 

"You know they're called cleats, right? Also, they're barely even muddy!"

 

He turned slowly to look me in the eye, annoyance spray painted his face and it even made me shudder. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't think of any good--or more like appropriate for Raf-- words to say, especially with the four other Autobots in the room.

 

"Your every wish is my command." He received a facetious, awkward courtesy.

 

"You're just as funny as the kid over there." He jerked a thumb at my Autobot guardian. Smoke scoffed and crossed his arms whilst leaning on the wall. The medic finished with a sly grin that only Bulkhead could actually see. "Which means you're not."

 

I groaned and popped a squat and began to wrestle the cleats off of my sweaty feet. I threw them into my gray bag and slipped my Nike slides over my red socked feet. The gray, number six etched backpack was slung on my back as I climbed the stairs to catch up with the other three about their day.

 

"Hey Cam, hit up any homework you have, alright?" Screen reminded, knowing that I could be a very distracted bean at many times. I nodded gratefully and flashed him a smile. His return warmed the room and I swear Arcee even cracked one too. Newbies have that special ability to do unique things that no one else was able to do. Like making the Autobot assassin crack an actual smile.

 

Miko and Raphael were playing their old-school racing game while Jack, who obviously should've been doing homework judging by all of the binders spread on the coffee table, egged their competitiveness on. Miko leaned left and right to the swerve of her car and gritted her teeth, spamming the keys in a desperate attempt to go faster.

 

"Come on Raf!" Jack cheered his young friend on, flanking him from behind with his hands on his shoulders. I modeled the dark haired teenager behind Miko. I placed my hands on the top of her head.

 

"I'm channeling my special driving powers to you. Come on Miko!"

 

"Can't you see I'm trying?!" She sharply remarked. I cringed at her ferocity and was curious to know what her malfunction was. Maybe a bad day at school today? I wouldn't know even in spite of us attending the same school. We barely saw each other unless we got detention at the same time.

 

They began to reach near the end of the racing track. In the horizon, the checkered banner peeked over the mirage that hovered over the pavement. The finish was in sight! Miko's red car inched ahead but Raf, who had been driving quietly for quite some time, made his calculated move. Jack saw it coming and pumped a silent fist in the air.

 

The young spiky-haired kid turned slowly and caught up Miko's car's back right tire, sending it spinning out. She allowed a frustrated grunt and tossed the remote backwards onto the couch, right in between her and the victor. Bulkhead sighed in disappointment not in his human friend, but in disappointment for her. He knew how competitive she could get.

 

Bee cheered with a series of jubilant beeps and a little bit of dance. Miko crossed her arms in anger. The yellow and black Autobot began to jump around Bulkhead, completing a few full circles around his green comrad.

 

"Whatever." Miko uttered and rolled her eyes to Cybertron and back.

 

Arcee and Smokescreen watched from a distance, both grinning at the most entertaining sight they'd seen all day.

 

"Is there any football on?" I piped up in the midst of a dust up that arose between Miko and Jack and ended with them freezing, both hands on one side of Miko's former controller. Miko stamped down a snort and Jack just smiled at me. My cheeks heated up and honestly I tried to figure out why. It was an honest question. I guess I was relatively new here, but surely the Autobots liked sports? They seemed like that type to me.

 

"We don't do… sports." Miko motioned towards me in a manner that I partly judged as offensive and snub. I didn't throw shade on her love for Slash Monkey or that horrid rock music, so I thought it best she back off.

 

"Dully noted." I replied sharply and resisted the urge to take a shot at her interests, but bit it back mentally and physically. Instead of commiting a gesture that I know that Optimus, Screen, Doc, and the others would not approve of, at Miko, I decided it was best that I just keep my head down. Unpacking my bag of most of its contents, made up of many crumpled assignments I'd long forgotten about, I readied myself for a self-inflicted long, long night of homework and maybe some football watching. "Fine. I'll just watch it on my computer then."

 

Miko blew her stray pink hair out of her face and shook her had at me. "Whatever, soccer player."

 

"Miko, relax." Bulkhead decided it best for him to intervene.

 

"Now you're on her side?" Miko pointed a finger in my direction as if I was some Decepticon who just tried to scrap her. I threw my hands up, similarly to an action I would take to try to convey innocence to a referee after committing a blatant foul. "All I did was call her a soccer player!"

 

"No dip Sherlock." I snapped before Bulkhead's attempt to reel her in. "Which, by the way, calling me that was quite unnecessary. In fact, it was obviously said to be some sort of affronting statement! You have a problem with people who don't love the same things you do? Gotta go judging everyone all the time?"

 

Then everything went for a downward spiral from there.

 

"Camryn-" Smokescreen made his way towards the common area the Autobots had set up for their human allies to dwell and hang out in. It was on a platform to the left of Ratchet's many monitors and consoles.

 

"That's it!" She shouted, and made a move at me, only to be stopped by Jack who withheld her like a zookeeper. I stood my ground, clearly unfazed but unwilling to strike.

 

Optimus made his way into the room, seeming sure that his audio receptors picked commotion of some sort up. Miko stopped struggling against Jack upon the Prime's entrance and Jack even let her go and tried to act casual. "What seems to be the problem?"

 

"She-!" Miko tried to throw me under the bus, but Arcee was a bit too quick for the blame to be cast without proper evidence from a key witness. And in her eyes, she was that witness for the time being.

 

"Just a bit of a dust up between Cam and Miko here. I believe that it's under control now." The blue Autobot explained after putting a hand on her hip, but wasn't so sure that the last thing mentioned was entirely accurate. Miko fumed at me, staring deep into my eyes. I stuffed my hands into my pockets casually and couldn't help but shoot a small smirk her way, basking in my silent victory.

 

I swear, if Wheeljack was in there, she could've set his one of his grenades off just by staring at it. If Megatron was here, she could've scorched him with her breath or maybe knock him off of his feet with a single punch.

 

She didn't really scare me that much. Some sports players had looked like they could and wanted to do worse. Got decked one time. Woke up in the hospital with the news that my team caught on fire and kicked the snot out of that team after they drug me off the pitch. Served them right.

 

"I think it would be wise for you two to separate and have some time to decompress." The Prime suggested, although everyone in the room knew that it was more of a gentle command than anything else.

 

"I'm not going home because of her!" Miko shouted. I shook my head at her unnecessary action and began to gather the mess that the contents my school bag made on the smooth concrete floor.

 

"Miko. Maybe it's better if I take you home. I think you need some time away." Bulkhead stepped a bit closer and stood ready to break up a skirmish if one began. He shot a look at his leader and Optimus gave him a nod, signaling his permission for the wrecker to stand guard at her house that night, unless something very serious arose.

 

"Fine!" She threw her hands up and snatched her nearly-empty bag out from under the stairs and slid into the passenger seat of her Guardian. If you can guess, she only hopped in roughly after shooting a scowl straight at me. I couldn't absorb anymore unnecessary hate, so I deflected her shot right back at her. Good Primus what was up with  
her?

 

After they sped away, Optimus took a knee and get near eye level with me, since I was standing in a bit of shock and awe, similarly to how I always did, on that platform. He placed an open palm down on the floor to stabilize himself and his optics readjusted to fix on me. You'd think it would've been intimidating, but it really felt the opposite.

 

"I everything alright, Camryn?" He asked, genuinely concerned. Smokescreen faded behind Optimus and stared at the ground; he kicked himself for not being the one that asked me. I reminded myself to reiterate our strong bond only after a month of his guardianship, and how much he meant to me. "Are you adjusting well?"

 

His questions took me by surprise. Maybe it was because I never took, or got, the time to see Optimus' compassion for his team and allies, or possibly because I always stood in awe of his, and all of the other Autobots' miraculous stature. Bots are beings of depth, not just physical strength.

 

"Yes sir." I answered dutifully, although not truthfully. He blinked, obviously unconvinced by my vague and quick answer, but he did not seem to condemn me for it.

 

"You do not need to lie to me, young one."

 

"Optimus, I'm alright. I appreciate your concern." I said with a twinge of inadvertent curtness. I cringed regarding my tone and looked into his optics apologetically. He, in all of his wisdom, smiled at me, picking up on my sincerity. "Sorry-"

 

"It's okay not to be okay, Cam." Arcee strutted forward a few strides from the corner she and Smokescreen observed from during the racing game and the blowup. Optimus stood from his kneeling position, although I felt it was so backwards, as if I should've been the one on my knees.

 

Everything in that situation felt backwards. Some of it was in a good way, like how Optimus seemed like such a radically different leader. Unlike our president and many other leaders, Optimus was a selfless and compassionate leader. He even spared kindness for his enemies and for the ones that had wronged him, like me for example when I was a bit short. He let negative words roll off of his back like random drops of energon and never wasted his time talking noise. He always let his actions; strength, inner and outer; leadership; and courage do the talking for him.

 

There was something to say about learning from him and the rest of the Autobots. They were so selfless in their actions to come here in spite of everything they had been through with their own planet, and protect us, even though protecting the human race wasn't their intent when they came here. They realized that they were uninvited guests on our planet, yet came and made this world a better place. Changing lives for the better and never for the worse. No matter what.

 

How's that for dictating your opinion of them by only actions and personality traits?

 

Some of that situation, however, wasn't so good when twisted from the usual swing of things on planet Earth. Usually the comic books and novels that I ever bother to pick up always end up with the good guys prevailing, but this brutal war that has been described to have been going on for eons hasn't tipped in favor of these good guys. In fact, it seems that the Autobots were always at the grave disadvantage.

 

"If you want the honest answer," the Autobots gathered around the platform, but sparing enough space as to not seem pressing or threatening. Jack stepped behind and placed a hand on my shoulder and Raf faded beside me, taking my hand gingerly. Arcee and Bumblebee smiled with the slightest amount of pride at their human's actions. I breathed a sigh to de-stress and calm my pounding heart as the sets of optics and eyes bored holes into me. "What happened a month ago was not okay. What happened to my parents and house was not okay. What the Decepticons have done is not okay."

 

Tears threatened and blurred my vision, but I wouldn't let them fall. If the Autobots could prevent the Decepticons from prevailing, certainly I could keep my tears from prevailing.

 

Jack gave me a reassuring squeeze and a small nod. "But what is okay is that I have you all now. You're my family now, as well as my parents. What is okay is the care that I trust my parents are in, thanks to Jack's mother. What is okay is that I have Smokescreen as the best guardian in the universe." Screen peeked out from behind Optimus with a huge denta-grin. Arcee sent a condoning smile his way and shifted her weight to her other leg, smiling at Jack as well. "Thank you guys for the opportunity that you've given me. Thank you for saving not only my physical body, but my emotional being and my spirit…"


End file.
